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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26721361">virgil and the phantoms</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/itsatiredwriter/pseuds/itsatiredwriter'>itsatiredwriter</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Sanders Sides (Web Series)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Ghosts AU, Julie and the Phantoms AU, M/M, Slow Burn, Supernatural AU - Freeform, Supernatural romance, band au</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 08:20:04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,705</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26721361</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/itsatiredwriter/pseuds/itsatiredwriter</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Virgil Parkins has just moved into a new house after the death of his mother to find ghosts trapped inside an old vinyl. They help him a lot more than he thought they would.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Deceit | Janus Sanders/Sleep | Remy Sanders</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>virgil and the phantoms</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>hi, i was originally basing this off of the original version of the show, but i did love the netflix and so i wanted to mesh the two together plus add a few elements of my own, thus this was born</p><p>I hope you guys enjoy</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“I know we’re all still in vacation mode but for this your first day back, you will have some work to do.” Virgil followed the teacher with his eyes as she wrote on the black board. “I am giving all of you forty minutes to write an essay with the theme of your life. You may start.”</span>
</p><p>
  <b>My life?</b>
  <span> Virgil thought. </span>
  <b>My life has been somewhat of a mess since we moved last week. I barely have a room. What I do have are five giant cardboard boxes with all my stuff in it, tucked in the attic, where I’m sleeping until my room is… liveable. And to make everything even better, at school I have to be around people who don’t give two shits about me but I also don’t give two shits about them either. Except for two of them. Thomas and Remy. Thomas has been my best friend since middle school and Remy… he’s my crush. And he doesn’t even know I exist, I doubt he knows my name. That’s how things usually are when you don’t talk to people, anxiety does that to you. And then there’s Janus… the most obnoxious people I’ve ever had the displeasure of knowing. He doesn’t care about anyone but himself and also… he has his eyes set on Remy too. The difference between me and him is that he is as subtle as a giant red mark on a white space while I… may be way too subtle. And to top it all off, my mom’s dead. Gone. Poofed out of this existence and I wish I could’ve gone with her because honestly, my life feels too much like hell for comfort lately. But here’s the thing though, I’m never actually writing any of this down.</b>
</p><p>
  <span>There is such a thing as being too personal in a school essay, Virgil believed and they would kiss Janus Decanis on the cheek before they crossed that line. Instead, they wrote some generic stuff. They did mention the move and the fact their room was still under construction and that they lived with his dad and little brother, Raegan. They mentioned Thomas being his friend as well but that’s where they stopped himself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They finished his essay in twenty minutes, and it was another half an hour before the bell rang, when everyone ran out to the patio. Virgil took the guitar strapped on the back of their wooden chair before leaving and Thomas followed right behind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, how was that song you’ve been working on?!” Their friend pried, poking at Virgil with his elbow as they walked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The boy snickered and looked away. “I haven’t finished it yet.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They nodded and sat down, holding the guitar, singing the first three lines of the song. Virgil didn’t think it was quite all that special, it was important to him but they never pictured anyone falling in love with it like they would with a thousand other songs he could name, just off the top of his head. But it seemed that Thomas just had.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve been stuck here for a bit.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s great, Virge!” Their friend said with confidence. “Be patient with yourself, maybe take a break. Do something else. OH-” His face even lit up then. “Why don’t you play it at the school’s music festival?!” He suggested.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why would I do that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because Remy’s the host?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Virgil snorted, shaking their head. “I’m not playing in a music festival just to get my crush to notice me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, you have to do something for him to notice you!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Talking is a good start.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And when are you doing that? The music festival could be a conversation started.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t want to play up there alone, Thomas.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You always have an excuse.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Look, if there are people up there with me, I wouldn’t immediately die of shame. It would take me a little while longer because we would share the anxiety.” </span>
  <b>Or so I’d hope</b>
  <span>, Virgil added to himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thomas leaned a bit too forward, holding himself back with his hands on the bench they sat on, squinting his eyes at Virgil. “You swear?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“... Yeah.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really, Virge?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“… I don’t like the look you have on your face, Thomas.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just swear again!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m swearing!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A smile crept on Thomas' face as he pulled back again and grabbed Virgil’s wrist. “Good.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And with that, they were taken away. Thomas led him to one of the classrooms. During break, it was being used to hold auditions for a band of students in their school. Virgil eyed inside the place through the door window, getting on the tip of his toes to get a better view. Then, they proceeded to side eye Thomas, asking for an explanation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You said you wouldn’t do the festival on your own, well,” Thomas shrugged, pointing at the people inside with his head, “you don’t have to if you audition.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Virgil grunted when they realised they couldn’t argue against that logic. But really, a band of sophomores?! They were an asocial freshman who only managed to befriend people if they insisted on talking to them for long periods of time, Virgil would have better luck fighting a crocodile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The other thing that didn’t help was seeing Janus leaving the audition just a few seconds after they arrived. The boy opened the door and passed right by the other two, with no words of greeting… or any acknowledgements that they were there at all. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How friendly.” Virgil snapped as they watched Janus walk away. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Go on!” Thomas ignored and pushed them inside the room. “I’ll be here cheering for you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“... Okay…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Virgil sighed and continued the steps. Something all too familiar clutched at their heart - that feeling of dread before you do something you just know makes you anxious. They hugged his guitar close as they made their way to sit on the chair before the group of sophomores.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>One of them asked for their name and they mumbled it out, avoiding eye contact. </span>
  <b>Great first impression, Virgil. </b>
  <span>But he couldn’t quite bring himself to act any differently.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And what are you singing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“An original song.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Original? Should be interesting. You can start.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And so they did. Their fingers moved on the guitar strings like rain falling down from the sky - naturally. They knew all the chords, all the words of an old song they had written with his mom… but their brain started to jumbled them up. They managed to correct himself a few times and that’s when Remy showed up. It was like Virgil lost all their ability to think and now they were stuck on the word welcome. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stop, stop.” The sophomore said. “Come back when you’ve learned all your lyrics.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was a punch to Virgil’s stomach. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They gulped and took off, head hung low and guitar inside his tight grip. As they walked on the halls, Virgil stormed past everyone and everything. They heard hurried steps behind him, knowing it was Thomas jogging to catch up to them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, how did it go?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I choked.” Virgil snapped. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh… well, that means-“</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It means I’m never singing in front of an audience ever again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Virge-” Thomas tried.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Virgil pretended not to listen and kept on walking.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At home, they had to perform manoeuvres to avoid their little brother. They barely managed to handle the kid when they were in a good mood, they would not be able to be patient now that everything had gone to the deepest depths of shit. No, Virgil, just quietly sneaked their way to the first floor, where their attic-room was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before they moved in, the attic had been being used for storage space, it seems, and the family who lived there before hadn’t bothered to clean up before they left. Virgil had been living in a stack of ancient magazines and old vinyl records for two weeks now. At least some of the records in there were of bands he knew and listened to, old rock stuff. But a name caught their attention that day, since they had never even heard of the band before. Picking it up, Virgil decided to play it, the record player they had found under the worn out piece of furniture that was barely a couch anymore. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And that’s when the strangest thing of their life happened. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The vinyl, as it spun, created a small electric flickering current and then two seconds later, three people just popped out of the record, right in front of them. And that’s when the screaming on both sides started. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Virgil stared at them, wide eyed, as they stared back, mirroring the expression. Finally, one of them found their own voice to speak. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who the hell are you?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who the hell are you?!” They shouted back, “What are you doing here?! What even are you?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oof, that’s a load of questions!” A second one replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is my house!” Virgil continued.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Since when?” The first questioned with defiance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Virgil glared at them and answered with a click of the tongue. “I’m not telling you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, well, we were here first. This is our home!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They cocked their head to the side before looking around at the chaotic space they were in “… the attic?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh… it… this wasn’t an attic when we were alive.” The third one spoke.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“W-when you were alive?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So if you could get the hell out, it would be very much appreciated.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The… person snapped his fingers and all of them disappeared, just as quickly as they had appeared in the first place. Virgil stood there, paralysed for a solid minute and stared at the spot they had been before, all the while, one of them came back. It was the one overwhelmed by the questions. This one was the shortest and chubbiest, Virgil thought now that they had taken a second look, sported curly hair and wide framed glasses. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hi, hello, just wanted to thank you for putting our record to play.” He waved at Virgil with a smile. “You freed us. Thank you so much!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The boy nodded in what felt like slow motion before the person disappeared once again.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You just had a rough day, Virgil, that’s all…” They made his way towards the record player and picked up the vinyl in their hands. “That’s why you’re seeing people like they’re goddamn ghosts. Yeah, that’s why.” They started breaking the plastic, once, twice… then they moved to the trash can and dropped the pieces in. “Just talk to Thomas and you’ll find yourself feeling okay again. No weird hallucinations to make you go insane.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The next day, while the humans were away, Roman, Patton and Logan, hung around in the attic. They had taken the time to explore. The three of them remembered dying but they didn’t know quite how long ago that had been. Their room had changed quite a lot, the walls weren’t covered in posts anymore, the old couch they had bought by saving up money between the three of them and shitty paying part time jobs was now on the brink of death itself, the whole place smelled like cleaning supplies but everything still looked worn out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Roman had found some interesting treasures as he went through the stuff surrounding them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You guys-“ He started giggling as he flipped through some pages on a notebook. “You would not believe this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” Patton questioned, hearing a sound coming from the trash can that he himself hadn’t realized he had slightly kicked while playing with his feet at the couch’s armrests. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>While Roman responded, he bent down to see what it was. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He filled entire pages with someone’s name.” Roman snickered. “Lovesick much?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh no.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s the problem, Patton?” Logan asked, Roman keeping his focus on the ridiculous proof of patheticness he had found.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh…” He whined, holding up broken pieces of their vinyl record.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That… is bound to be hard to fix.” Logan eyed it. “It was also our last copy. We will never be able to hear our own songs again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?!” Roman jumped up then, grabbing one of the pieces to examine it. “I will not stand for this!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where do you think you’re going?” Logan stood up in protest. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“To the edgy lord’s school. It’s got to be the same one we went to, right? It’s still there? It’s the only one I remember being anywhere close to here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And what are you going to do, Roman?! We cannot show ourselves to living humans.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh but he has to pay for this!” The other continued. “And I will make him. Don’t try to stop me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He stormed out before the others could react. And so Roman marched the school while Patton and Logan sighed in unison, unwilling to follow their friend’s lead. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finding the kid wasn’t easy, the school was… actually quite bigger now. But once he did… ohoho… Roman was about to bring in the thunder. They had been writing on some paper when Roman came from behind and slapped the broken vinyl on his desk.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Care to explain this?!” He yelled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The kid turned his head to him and turned it back, covering his eyes and mumbling a few words Roman didn’t bother to try and make out. He disappeared, waited for him to relax so he could reappear in front of him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was the last copy we had, did you know that?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re not real.” This time Roman heard him as he whispered. “I’m just imagining shit, you’re not real.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t exist, huh?” He hinged his jaws and ripped a piece of paper from their notebook to crumple it up and throw it at the teacher sitting at their desk. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“NO!” The kid screamed as it hit them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They furrowed their eyebrows at him. “Do I have to say it or…” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They pushed his chair back and grabbed his backpack. “I’m going…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Roman followed them outside, as they moved as fast as they could to try and get away. It would never work.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mind leaving me alone?!” They hissed at him. “You already got me sent to the principal’s office, what more do you want?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You deserved it.” Roman snapped back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I could get suspended!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It wouldn’t be enough.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Right then, the kid turned around to see another boy walking towards him, and his breath got caught in his throat. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh.” Roman smirked, blinking. “That must be the infamous Remy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Right then, Remy passed through them, bumping on their shoulder and not saying a word. Not even a short apology. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Incredible.” Roman let out with a snort. “Even alive, you’re just as invisible as I am.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And that comment gave Virgil an idea. As the ghost left, they detoured from the principal’s office towards the talent show sign up stand. They’d pay for that later but they couldn’t let themselves be invisible anymore, even if just out of pettiness. Their only friend was Thomas, nobody ever apologizes to them when they bumped into him in the halls, nobody ever looked for them to do school projects together, if Thomas missed a day of school, Virgil was essentially on their own. It got tiring and depressing very quickly. And they were sick of it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait wait wait-“ Thomas caught up with him at the cafeteria after class was over. “First you say you never want to sing in front of an audience again, and now you are going to? What’s with the radical change of heart?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I need something to change.” Virgil deadpanned with a shrug. “Might as well start with me a little bit, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, this is amazing!” Thomas held their shoulders, a wordless gesture to ask permission for a hug. Virgil nodded and their friend embraced him with a squeeze. “I’m sure you’ll do great. You’re singing your own song right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I-“</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Virgil, you have to!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because you write amazing songs and you deserve to be heard! Virge, if your plan is to stop being invisible,nyou need to stand out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Virgil shook their head. “But I have other options.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not as strong as your own songs though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thomas…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Buddy, I won’t push you to do anything but I promise you, your song is your best shot.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>thanks for reading and pls leave a comment!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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